Device for removable attachment to a wall mounted telephone

ABSTRACT

A device for removable attachment to a wall mounted telephone is provided which is formed of a planar sheet of painted or coated light gauge steel. It has a front face directed away from the wall and mounted thereon are a permanently bound addresstelephone book, a holder for note paper, and a pen attached by a chain. Means are provided for engagement with a wall mounted telephone.

United States Patent [191 Barone 1 DEVICE FOR REMOVABLE ATTACHMENT TO A WALL MOUNTED TELEPHONE Anthony P. Barone, 1540 Hubbard Rd., North Madison, Ohio 44057 Filed: May 8, 1972 Appl. No.: 251,439

Related US. Application Data Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 234,143, March 13, 1972, abandoned.

Inventor:

US. Cl. 281/15 B, D26/l4 A, 40/336 Int. Cl B42d 5/00 8] Field of Search 40/336-338; 179/100, 146, 178; 248/205 R, 447; 281/15 R, 15 B; D26/l4 A References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1957 Iscoe 281/15 B [451 Oct. 22, 1974 3,052,056 9/1962 Eisenstein 281/15 B 3,085,134 4/1963 Bissonnette et al 40/336 X 3,150,296 9/1964 McIntosh 281/15 B X 3,166,288 1/1965 Eisenberg 281/15 B X 3,345,769 10/1967 Nathan 40/336 Dl60,224 9/1950 Smyth D26/l4 A Primary Examiner-Harland S. Skogquist Assistant Examiner-Vance Y. l-lum 5 7] ABSTRACT A device for removable attachment to a wall mounted telephone is provided which is formed of a planar sheet of painted or coated light gauge steel. It has a front face directed away from the wall and mounted thereon are a permanently bound address-telephone book, a holder for note paper, and a pen attached by a chain. Means are provided for engagement with a wall mounted telephone.

11 Claims, 18 Drawing Figures PATENTnncI22 m4 3.8421166 SIEH 1 If 4 PATENTEDUCT 22 I974 smear 4 i L J """I'I'I'I'."

ADB EEE TELEFHIENE Hm H IIIHIIHII I II I null, 54 F 7 PATENTEDnm 22 m4 3343;16 MIME! DEVICE FOR REMOVABLE ATTACHMENT TO A WALL MOUNTED TELEPHONE This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 234,143, filed Mar. 13, 1972, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to telephone mounted devices, more particularly to devices which are adapted to be secured on wall mounted telephones to provide readily accessible means for the reception of written indicia such as telephone numbers and telephone messages.

In the past when so-called desk-type phone sets were almost universally used, the common practice was to provide a desk, table, or some other support for the phone which support also provided a convenient place for, keeping note paper and pencils to write down phone messages as well as providing a convenient place for keeping a book for addresses and telephone numbers.

However, wall mounted telephones are becoming much more common in residences, especially where there is a multiplicity of phone sets. These wall mounted phone sets do not require a support such as a table or a desk and, indeed, are often located in areas where there is no desk or table or the like convenient thereto. Thus there is no convenient place near the phone for holding paper, writing implements, and telephone number books which have come to be a necessary adjunct to the phone set. This has led to the well known phenomenon of having to leave the phone set to rummage aboutfor paper and pencil to write down a telephone message and then find some convenient place to display the message. The alternative of writing on the wall, while sometimes resorted to, is not usually tolerated by the lady of the house.

Thus there is need for a device which will provide for the necessary implements to be readily available for receiving written messages and indicating telephone numbers conveniently available to wall mounted phones.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention a device for removable attachment to a wall phone is provided which is formed as a planar sheet of material which has means for engaging a portion of the phone mounted on a wall. The sheet of material has a front face thereof directed away from the wall and thus mounted thereon means for the reception of written indicia. Preferably a pen or other writing implement is also mounted on the face thereof by means of a flexible line. Also, preferably the device is made of a ferro-magnetic material and has a portion of the face thereof located to receive magnets for the temporary mounting of notes and messages.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention being depicted as it is attached to a wall mounted phone, which phone is shown in phantom outline;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane designated by the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane designated by the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the upper left hand portion of another embodiment of a device according to this invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane designated by the line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view of that portion of the device shown in FIG. 4 with an address-telephone book mounted thereon;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane designated by the line 7-7 of FIG.6; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane designated by the line 8--8 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the invention, with parts omitted for clarity;

FIG. 10 is a perspective exploded view of the device of FIG. 9 mounted on a wall phone;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane represented by line 1111 of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of yet another embodiment of a device according to this invention with parts omitted for clarity;

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane designated by the line 13-13 of FIG. 12 showing the device mounted on a wall mounted phone of the type shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of another type of wall mounted phone;

FIG. 15 is a front elevational view of yet another embodiment of the invention with parts omitted for clarity adaptable for mounting on the phone of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane designated by the line 1616 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a front elevational view of still another embodiment of the invention with parts omitted for clarity adapted for mounting on the phone of FIG. 14; and

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken substantially along the plane designated by the line l8l8 of FIG. 17.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, one embodiment of a device adapted to be mounted on a wall phone according to this invention is shown in FIGS. 1-3. The device includes a rectangular sheet of material designated generally as 10. The sheet of material is formed with a front face 12 and has an elongated slot 14 formed therein extending upwardly from lower edge 16. Attached to the front face 12 is an address-telephone book 18 and a holder 20, in which sheets of note paper 22 are disposed. A pen 24 is also provided which is secured to the front face 12 by means of a chain 26 and fitting 28.

The sheet material 10 is preferably a light gauge steel or other ferro-rnagnetic material so that magnets, one of which is shown at 30, may be utilized in conjunction therewith to temporarily mount notes or cards such as shown at 32 on the face thereof. The steel is painted or covered with a plastic.

As shown in FIG. 1 the device is adapted to be attached to a wall mounted phone 34 shown in phantom outline. According to one conventional design of these wall mounted phones there is a strip of material slightly narrower than the width of the slot 14 and projecting a fraction of an inch rearwardly from the phone set which secures the phone set 34 to the wall. The device is mounted or secured to the phone set by slipping the slot 14 over this strip of material so that the edges of the slot 14 slidingly engage this strip of material and maintains the device in place.

It will be noted that the slot 14 is laterally offset; i.e., it is closer to one side edgethan the other. This provides a rather large surface area to the left of the phone as is viewed for the reception of messages held by the magnet 30. A smaller face is presented on the right side of the phone as viewed wherein the pencil 24 is secured.

In order to provide for a snug or tight fit of the device an upper flange 38 is provided along the top edge of the material and a pair of side flanges 40 are provided along the opposite sides of the device. These flanges 38 and 40 provide the necessary thickness to hold the front face 12 of the device firmly against the back of the phone set 34 while bearing against the wall behind. This will insure a tight fit. The lower edge 16 is formed without any flange so that the resiliency or flexibility of the sheet material 10 is maintained to insure the proper tight fit of the device in place.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 8 a portion of another embodiment of a device according to this invention is shown. The device of this embodiment is the same as that of FIGS. 1 to 3, except for the mounting of the address-telephone book. In this embodiment means are provided for removably mounting this address-telephone book. To this end an upper L-shaped flange 52, a lower L-shaped flange 54, and a side L- shaped flange 56 are all stamped out of the sheet material 10. These flanges 52, 54, and 56 are so positioned and sized that the flanges 52 and 54 will engage the rear cover 58 of the book 18 and the flange 56 will engage the front cover 60 thereof. Thus the book 18 can be removably mounted as shown in FIGS. 6-8 on the device. To utilize the book 18 it can be completely removed, if desired, or it need merely be slid to the left (as viewed in FIG. 6) until the front cover 60 has cleared the flange 56, in which position the book can be opened while still mounted on the device. While the device has been shown in particular preferred forms, it is to be understood that there are many minor variations and changes which can be made and still be within the scope of the invention. For example, the arrangement of the telephone-address book and note paper holder could be changed or even different type of indicia receiving means could be afforded. The basic requirement, however, is that indicia receiving devices be provided on a device which is secured on a wall mounted telephone set.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 through 11, another embodiment of the device is shown which is adapted for mounting on the different type of wall mounted phone. In this embodiment the sheet material 10 has an opening 64 stamped therein which opening 64 conforms in shape to and is just slightly larger than the back plate 66 of a wall mounted phone. The back plate 66 is mounted to the wall by a pair of screws 68 and 70. To install this device the front cover 72 of the phone is removed from the phone by loosening the appropriate screws (not shown) and removing the front cover 72. The opening 64 is then placed around the back plate 66 as shown in FIG. 10. The front cover 72 is then replaced and screwed into position so that it maintains the device in position as shown in FIG. 11. In this embodiment the device does not slip onto the phone but rather is placed thereon and held in place by the front cover of the phone.

Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, another embodiment of the device is shown-adapted to be mounted on the wall mounted phone of the type shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. In this embodiment a pair of slots 74 and 76 extend upwardly from the bottom of the sheet material 10 and are positioned to slidably engage the two screws 68 and which hold the back plate 66 on the wall. The mounting of this device is shown in FIG. 13. It should also be noted that in this embodiment the material does not have outer flanges such as in the device of the previous embodiment but has rolled under edges 78. This is necessary because the material is much closer to the wall in its mounted configuration on the phone.

FIG. 14 shows still another type of wall mounted telephone and FIGS. 15 through 18 show two additional embodiments of devices for mounting on this type of phone.

Referring now to FIGS. 14 and 15 and 16, a slot 80 is provided in the material 10 which extends upwardly from the bottom thereof. At the top of the slot 80 is an angularly downwardly extending flange 82. The slot 80 is adapted to slidingly engage central channel 84 of back plate 86. This channel 84 has an opening 87 extending theredown which opening 86 engages the flange 82 to maintain the device on the phone.

In FIGS. 17 and 18 the device has an upwardly extending slot 88 having a pair of L-shaped flanges 90 at the top thereof. The L-shaped flanges 90 are disposed to engage in the side openings 92 on opposite sides of the central channel 84 and maintain the device in place. As can be seen in FIG. 14 the front cover 94 of the phone does not cover the back plate 86 so that the openings 87 and 92 are exposed to engage the flanges.

In depicting the embodiments of FIGS. 9 through 18 the telephone-address book, the holder and sheets of paper, and the pen have not been illustrated. However, it is to be understood that these are present in the same manner as previously described. Also, the sheet material is preferably made of ferro-magnetic material as previously indicated to allow for magnetic mounting of notes.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for removable attachment to a wall phone which phone has a back plate with means for mounting the back plate to a wall and a front cover for said phone which when attached to said back plate surrounds the periphery of said back plate, said device comprising a planar sheet of material, said material having an opening therein which opening is adapted to permit the sheet to be mounted adjacent a wall and be located by said back plate, said opening being of such size and arrangement that when the phone cover is engaged with said back plate said cover overlies said sheet material to conceal said opening and said mounting means, said sheet material further comprising means for the reception of indicia including means to removably receive sheets of paper and also including flange means extending forward from said sheet material disposed to support a permanently bound book.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 further characterized by projection means on said sheet extending toward the direction of said wall for engagement thereof when said sheet is secured to said phone.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said projection means includes flanges around the edges of said material.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein-said opening is a slot extending upwardlyfrom a lower edge thereof positioned and configured to slidably engage a portion of the phone on a wall.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 further characterized by flange means adjacent said opening positioned to engage the phone between the back plate and front cover thereof at the top edge.

6. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said slot is offset laterally whereby to provide the front face with different width sections adjacent the phone when the device is attached.

7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of openings each in the form of a slot extending upwardly from a lower edge.

8. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said opening is configured and at least partially surrounds the back plate of the phone mounted on the wall.

9. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said sheet material is formed at least in part of a ferromagnetic material.

10. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for the reception of indicia includes a partially enclosed holder for supporting note papers.

11. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said flange means include flanges positioned to engage the rear cover of the book, and a flange to engage the front cover at fully inserted position only of the book. 

1. A device for removable attachment to a wall phone which phone has a back plate with means for mounting the back plate to a wall and a front cover for said phone which when attached to said back plate surrounds the periphery of said back plate, said device comprising a planar sheet of material, said material having an opening therein which opening is adapted to permit the sheet to be mounted adjacent a wall and be located by said back plate, said opening being of such size and arrangement that when the phone cover is engaged with said back plate said cover overlies said sheet material to conceal said opening and said mounting means, said sheet material further comprising means for the reception of indicia including means to removably receive sheets of paper and also including flange means extending forward from said sheet material disposed to support a permanently bound book.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1 further characterized by projection means on said sheet extending toward the direction of said wall for engagement thereof when said sheet is secured to said phone.
 3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said projection means includes flanges around the edges of said material.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said opening is a slot extending upwardly from a lower edge thereof positioned and configured to slidably engage a portion of the phone on a wall.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 4 further characterized by flange means adjacent said opening positioned to engage the phone between the back plate and front cover thereof at the top edge.
 6. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said slot is offset laterally whereby to provide the front face with different width sections adjacent the phone when the device is attached.
 7. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of openings each in the form of a slot extending upwardly from a lower edge.
 8. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said opening is configured and at least partially surrounds the back plate of the phone mounted on the wall.
 9. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said sheet material is formed at least in part of a ferro-magnetic material.
 10. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said means for the reception of indicia includes a partially enclosed holder for supporting note papers.
 11. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said flange means include flanges positioned to engage the rear cover of the book, and a flange to engage the front cover at fully inserted position only of the book. 